


Lessons in Patience

by JazzRaft



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 16:49:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18480334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzRaft/pseuds/JazzRaft
Summary: Lunafreya is going on hike with the Prince. Over Ravus's dead body. He insists on chaperoning the walk through Insomnia's park. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and Noctis is whining. This is the greatest test of Ravus's patience he's ever experienced.





	Lessons in Patience

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GwiYeoWeo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwiYeoWeo/gifts).



> Originally posted on [tumblr](http://jazzraft.tumblr.com/post/184211643062/lunaravus-somehow-getting-roped-into-going) for a request!

“Oh, come now, brother. Don’t look so dour, especially not on such a beautiful spring day!”

It certainly _would_ have been a beautiful spring day, had it not been for his having to suffer the company of these Lucian imbeciles on it. Which was his own fault, really – the fact that he was here by his own, foolish volition added an extra pinch of salt to the wound – but once he’d heard that Luna and Noctis were going hiking with only the supervision of the Prince’s “Shield” – an untested, uncouth young man, barely out of his training boots – it was hardly even a choice that Ravus must accompany them as well. He wasn’t about to let his sister go marching into the barb-toothed tourist trap of Insomnia’s local parks without the proper supervision of an Imperial officer escorting her.

He’d brought this on himself. For the safety of his only remaining family, Ravus had to make the ultimate sacrifice: his patience (and, more tragically, his time).

“How much longer are you going to make us walk before admitting that you took us the wrong way?” Noctis whined.

“We are _not_ going the wrong way,” Gladiolus insisted, double-checking the digital compass bisecting his phone’s screen.

“My feet disagree with you.”

Luna consoled the Prince’s self-pitying with a pat on the back as she overcame him, keeping pace with the Shield’s expansive stride leading them ahead. Noctis huffed and puffed and exaggerated the extent of his exhaustion, and Ravus had no idea if his theatrics were intended to be entertaining, or if he truly was just that weak. Ravus was leaning towards the latter.

Regardless, the deluge of complaints was an aggravating soundtrack to what would have otherwise been a fairly decent day… by Lucian standards, at least. Padded throughout the vast carpets of commercial enterprise comprising the city sectors were massive parks for outdoor enthusiasts to explore on cloudless weekends, catering illusions of rural vistas confined within Insomnia’s protective borders. The fields and forests budding with spring foliage may have been mere simulations of the lush wilds beyond the bridge into the city, but they were populated with enough detail that the experience felt close enough to an authentic one.

Towering spruce trees enclosed the park like great green sentinels, screening the industrial clamor of the city. The cool cast of their shadows were pierced through with the russet arrows of red maples twisting up from the damp soil, and ferns, stretching as high as Ravus’s hip, smudged green between the feet of the trees. The hiking trails were well-kept, colorful markers guiding them through the undergrowth, and over foot-bridges that crossed chattering streams, and through big, open meadows speckled with the many-colored faces of wildflowers like bright blasts of confetti. Birdsong chorused between branches, butterflies and bees hurried from daisy to dandelion, and with enough miles between their party and the park gates, it was easy to forget they were still stuck inside Insomnia.

Loathe though he was to admit his enemy had any virtues, Ravus thought he might have enjoyed the excursion. He didn’t so much mind the yellow dust of pollen tickling his nose, or the buzz of mayflies trying to land in his ears, or even the occasional mosquito bite. No, the most obnoxious part of the whole venture was having to trust the directional capabilities of two Lucians pretending to be professional outdoor hobbyists.

“We’re here!”

Gladiolus announced their arrival with a (quite likely premature) confidence that he’d led them exactly where they were supposed to go. He would never admit it if they’d ended up at the wrong place – and Ravus had a strong feeling that was exactly where they were.

All of their hiking – and all of Noctis’s whining – had led them to a flat, featureless embankment overlooking the river. The water stretched far across to a smattering of pink cherry blossoms just barely starting to bloom, but not yet bursting with their full brilliance for the season. He supposed it had the potential to be worth the hike, but as it was now, it wasn’t a particularly remarkable spot to make camp, nor the most comfortable – and Ravus didn’t think the view was much to boast at anyway, if that was indeed the intended marvel. There were better places to view cherry blossoms, and certainly ones that required less exertion.

Nevertheless, their guides insisted that this was where they were meant to spend the night, unloading their backpacks against the stone. Rather than help construct the tents, Noctis dropped his gear and headed straight for the edge of the river, hand glittering with crystal sparks that coalesced into a _fishing rod_ , of all things.

“I’m going to catch us something to eat!” he called over his shoulder, already far enough away that he could pretend he couldn’t hear anyone trying to stop him.

“Sure,” Gladiolus snorted under his breath. “We’ll see.”

“We’ll no doubt starve,” Ravus mumbled.

“If you’re so worried, how about you go and make sure that doesn’t happen,” Luna suggested.

Ravus shot his sister an aghast look, and she had an arched brow prepared to counter him. He knew well enough that one raised eyebrow was the end of any argument with the Oracle, but still, like a fool, he tried.

“Perhaps the Prince will prove himself more capable without any intervention,” he argued.

“Of course. I’m certain that he’s more than capable,” Luna said. “Perhaps you can learn from him instead.”

She jerked her chin in Noct’s direction, and that was the end of any objections Ravus could make over the order. He never had been any match for her. Served him right for thinking he was. Luna turned to help Gladiolus prepare camp, fully expecting Ravus to be gone when she turned back.

“What can I help you with, Gladio?”

“If you want to start boiling water for the Cup Noodles, that’d be great!”

“Cup Noodles? What is that?”

The Shield’s endorsement of Lucis’s favorite instant dinner echoed against Ravus’s back as he approached Noctis. His displeasure must have been a tangible feeling, because the Prince startled as if he’d felt it jab into the back of his neck. He blinked up from his seat at the lip of the plateau, eyes shaded from Ravus’s glare underneath his fishing cap. He’d already cast a line into the river below, feet dangling over the stone.

“Need something?” Noctis asked.

“A lesson,” Ravus said, through gritted teeth. “In fishing.”

Noctis stalled, blinking in confusion. The silence between his registering what Ravus said to his response, only made the red flush of embarrassment beneath Ravus’s collar feel that much more discomfiting.

“You want to learn to fish… from _me_?”

“Lunafreya seems to be under the impression you’re an expert. Am I to assume that’s not the case after all?”

For a moment, Ravus relished the smallest spark of victory over Noctis’s dumbfounded expression. Perhaps all of his bravado was just a front after all, and Ravus could march back to his sister with an “I told you so” for once. But he was disappointed, yet again, when Noctis grinned and shifted to the side, opening up space for Ravus to sit beside him.

“Okay! This’ll be fun,” he said, and Ravus wanted to push him into the river.

 _Not with witnesses_ , he reminded himself, and conceded to kneel down on the stone. It was smooth and cold, patches of algae growing just underneath the overhang from the splash of the river. Once he was settled, Noctis offered him the rod. _Fine._ If he must subject himself to the Prince’s tutelage, he would at least learn to the point where he could surpass him. Ravus took the fishing rod in his fist, watching the line glint in the sunlight with the movement.

“It’s not a sword,” was Noctis’s first criticism. “While you’re waiting for a bite, it’s better to have a light grip. If you hold too tight, the fish will sense it and swim the other way.”

Ravus gave him a dead-eyed look. They were _fish_. He didn’t expect they sensed much of anything. But Noctis was sure of himself, modeling how his hands were supposed to look for him. Ravus scrutinized the gesturing, but failed to interpret it to his own form.

“Um… may I?”

Noctis’s hands hovered over his, waiting for permission to redirect Ravus’s fingers manually. Ravus bit down his pride and nodded. Noctis smiled, and gently pried Ravus’s fingers from around the reel. His hands were nimble and warm, lightly brushing over Ravus’s and coaxing them into going lax.

“There. Better,” Noctis said. “Now, you just wait until you feel a pull on the line. Then, we’ll take it from there.”

Ravus knew enough about fishing to know that it was all about patience. He liked to think he had a healthy reserve of that. Between dodging around Imperial politics and having to bear Noctis’s own company, Ravus thought it was a testament to his patience that he hadn’t stabbed anyone of notable importance yet in his entire military career.

Outmatching a few fish for dinner was nothing. Waiting for said fish to bite in awkward silence next to Noctis, was a little more than nothing though.

“Is there no strategy that may resolve this in a timelier manner?”

“Nope. You’re on the river’s time now. This is the part of fishing where you’re forced to just” – Noctis gestured across the water – “enjoy the scenery.”

Ravus wanted to bite back that he’d been _trying_ to enjoy the scenery all day, and he was at the point where he was getting sick of it. But thinking about a retort such as that just made his hands tighten, and Noctis said he needed a light grasp to catch this damn fish. And he was _going_ to catch a damn fish. He had something to prove now.

Noctis leaned back on his palms and gazed out at the golden glint of the water. A faint speckling of pink petals floated along the current from the opposite shore. In a few days, the whole river would be carpeted with the wind-fallen blooms. Ravus could just imagine it – he didn’t have much else to do but imagine. He didn’t have much else to do but relax, too. If he expected to succeed at fishing, he had to. That was perhaps the most challenging part.

But the longer he sat, and the rhythm of the river coursed onward, and Noctis didn’t bother him with any inane niceties, strangely enough, Ravus started to feel a small inkling of peace. The absence of the city’s suffocating alleys and all the pressures on his shoulders therein left him with a nothingness he could just sink into and enjoy for what it was: nothing.

The world was gentle and quiet around him. It hadn’t been that way in a very long time.

Which was why he was almost annoyed when it was finally broken by a tug on his line. Noctis sat forward with an eager glint to his eye, and Ravus remembered that this was the point where he was to expect more instructions. He tightened his hold on the rod and started reeling. He didn’t need _that_ much direction.

“Yeah, you got it,” Noctis coached. “Give a little, ease up… okay, now reel in hard… give again. It’s all about give and take. You got this!”

Ravus glanced between the retreating line and Noctis’s earnest expression, not sure how to take it. Was he mocking him? It didn’t sound like it. He seemed supportive enough, and he didn’t reach in and wrench the line for him when Ravus was doing it wrong. He wanted to, Ravus could see his hands flexing out of the corner of his eye, but Noctis valiantly kept them to himself and let Ravus have this catch… Unremarkable though it ended up being.

“It’s your first fish!” Noctis said, brightly, while Ravus scowled at the tiny minnow flapping around on the end of his hook. “Everyone starts out small. It’s like a rite of passage.”

“It won’t be a very appetizing one.”

Ravus glanced back at Luna and Gladiolus. They weren’t nearly prepared for dinner yet, Luna having determined that she was going to light a fire the old fashioned way with flint and twigs while Gladiolus was reading the instructions for a half finished tent.

“We’ve got time to try again, if you want,” Noctis offered.

He shouldn’t have wanted to. The less time he had to spend in Noctis’s company, the happier Ravus would be. But he still had much to prove to the Prince – and he did rather enjoy just being able to sit and do nothing. If today was all about his sacrifices, he supposed he’d have to sacrifice himself to some semblance of sociability with Noctis if he wanted to enjoy the remainder of his day.

Fortunately, Noctis made it easy. Perhaps his whining on the way up really had been theatrical. He was quiet once they sat down, only offering the occasional, quiet tip for how Ravus cast or what bait to use when he saw him struggling. Once the lure was in the water, he said nothing, just sat and enjoyed the fresh air.

It was easier to breathe it in now. Ravus might have sacrificed his patience at the beginning of the hike, but Noctis had more than enough of it to balance him out. It made his company marginally more tolerable than normal. He only made a sound to encourage Ravus’s reeling.

It was nice to have someone cheering him on once he reeled in a _real_ fish. After all, what was the point of his triumphs if he couldn’t share them with the one person he wanted to prove them to?


End file.
